Spicing things up in your love life doesn't always have to involve taking off your clothes - you may just need to take off your shoes and socks.

Whether you are the giver or the receiver, both people benefit from a foot massage. Of course the receiver will experience less stress and pain relief, increased circulation, and unexplainable pleasure, but the giver reaps the benefits too. It's a very caring, and nurturing act that's sure to deepen the connection you feel with the other person.

Want to know how to give an incredible foot massage? Then

• I like to begin my foot massages with a bubble bath. Take a few minutes to scrub every part, paying close attention to the heels and in between the toes.
• Remove their feet one at a time and softly dry them off.



• Now we're ready for the good part. Pour some scented lotion or massage oil into your palms and rub them together. Do one foot at a time, holding your partner's foot with both hands. Using your thumbs, begin long, slow, firm strokes from the toes all the way to the heel. If you don't apply enough pressure (or way too much) you'll end up tickling your partner, so communicate with them about what feels good. Repeat several times, rubbing every part of the bottom of their foot. Then do the same to the top of your partner's foot.
• Now cup one hand under your partner's heel, and grasp the ball of their foot (just below the toes) with your other hand. Begin doing ankle rotations in one direction and then the other, to loosen up the joints and relax the muscles in the feet. The ankles bear the pressure of the whole body weight and helping to ease tension here is tremendously relaxing for the spine, hips and shoulders.
• Next grasp your partner's arch with one hand, and with the other, begin massaging each toe individually. You can also carefully "pull" the toes. Beginning with the big toe, grasp it between your thumb and first finger, and grab onto it at the base and begin sliding your fingers down to the top of the toe. Repeat this again, but this time with a rolling motion.
• After that, your partner will love arch presses. Hold the heel of their foot with one hand, and with the other hand, using the heel of your palm, push hard as you slide along the arch from the ball of their foot to the heel and back up again. Repeat this exploring the entire sole of the foot.
• You can end the massage with the same stroking motions on the sole and top of their foot that you did at the beginning.
• Gently place your partner's foot down, pick up the other foot and repeat all the previous steps.

Dear's Advice: I prefer using lotion infused with essential oils [0] instead of oil since it's a lot less mess and grease.

Source [1]